


The Abyss

by RWright



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28997829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RWright/pseuds/RWright
Summary: Evelynn knew she should not have ignored the feeling as soon as it appeared, and now it has arrived with consequences. With the rise of an old foe, can she right her wrongs before more of the people she loves get hurt?
Relationships: Ahri/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 191





	1. Just a Feeling

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Comic](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/748962) by RuckusWright. 



> So this was heavily inspired by part of a comic I made one night that needed a little more explanation. Mind you I haven't written any kind of fan fiction in a good long while, so I apologize if it's not as well written as it could be. I'm a little bit rusty.

There it was again, that brief tickle in the back of her mind, like an unconscious nagging that she had forgotten something. Evelynn had not paid too much attention to it when it first manifested out of the blue a couple of days ago, and she had dismissed it just as quickly. But try as she might it was always there, hiding, lurking, poised to spoil whatever mood she was feeling at the particular time. Now it was here to rouse her from her much-enjoyed sleep to trouble her mind further.

With a dissatisfied hum, Evelynn opened her eyes to the thin stream of gray daylight seeping in through the small gap between the thick blackout curtains that hung over the near floor to ceiling windows of her bedroom. She stared absently at the beam, thumbing through her memories of the previous night and day and wondering if something had indeed slipped her mind that would prompt the persistent feeling of impending dread. After all, after weeks on the road performing their new debut ALL OUT album, something important was bound to have been forgotten, but no matter how hard she tried, she remembered nothing.  
  
_Perhaps that was for the best_ , she reasoned as she drew in a deep breath and slowly sat up so as not to disturb her still-slumbering bedmate.

Her bedmate.

Evelynn glanced to her right and like mist before a flame, the knots in her stomach loosened and released. With her face turned away, all Evelynn could see of Akali was the spiky tangled nest of blonde-streaked black hair, her arms locked beneath her pillow and the sleek black and lavender silk blanket pulled back just enough for Evelynn to catch glimpses of the purple and gold dragon tattoo on her upper arm and back. It was a sight Evelynn had grown accustomed to in her almost two years of dating the rapper, but one she had yet to grow tired of.  
  
Humming softly, Evelynn settled back down into the bed and pressed herself flush against her lover’s back, allowing a small grin at the warmth that greeted her. She brushed the strands of unruly hair away from the smooth of the expanse of the nape of Akali’s neck and methodically trailed firm, gentle kisses over her neck and shoulders as her fingertips lightly traced the counters of Akali’s abdominal muscles. Of all the changes KDA made, Akali’s strength training workout routine was one of Evelynn’s favorites.  
  
“Wake up, my darling,” she cooed in Akali’s ear. Her small smirk widened as the rapper groaned and leaned back into Evelynn’s body. “We need to start getting ready.”  
  
Ever so slowly Akali blinked her eyes open, decided she did not like it, and shut them just as quickly. She drew in a deep breath and curled into herself, taking one of her arms from beneath the pillow to grip at Evelynn’s hand on her stomach and hold it, effectively trapping the diva against her. Now even more comfortable than before, Akali prepared herself to go back to sleep, when the body at her back and the arm wrapped around waist began to retreat.  
  
“Noooooo,” Akali moaned softly, tightening her grip on Evelynn’s hand.  
  
“Darling, you know better,” Evelynn chided. A quick, sharp nip to the back of Akali’s neck was enough to loosen the rapper’s needy grasp and Evelynn pulled her arm free.  
  
“Ow!” Akali hissed, rolling over enough to shoot a poisonous glare at her girlfriend as her fingers nursed the slightly throbbing wound. “What the hell, babe?”  
  
Evelynn smiled sweetly, a little too sweetly for Akali’s taste and she frowned.  
  
“What?” Akali asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.  
  
“Are you going to get up, or do I have to make you?” Evelynn asked.  
  
From the corner of her eye, Akali spied the whip-like movement of one of Evelynn’s lashers waving back and forth in semi-contained anticipation. Akali’s eyes narrowed to mere slits and her frown deepened.  
  
“Fine, I’m up, I’m up,” Akali grumbled and gently pushed herself up into a seating position.  
  
“You gave up quick,” Evelynn pouted, disappointment lacing her voice. Her lashers drooped a little behind her.  
  
“Oh believe me,” with deft movements, Akali grasped Evelynn by the shoulders and pushed her back into the bed, quickly straddling her naked waist, “I wouldn’t have, but you just insist on us getting up.”  
  
Beneath her, Evelynn purred as she looked up at her girlfriend, golden cat-slit eyes narrowed mischievously. The peak of her tongue wet the edge of her lips just as her lashes brushed over the muscles of Akali’s arms. “And who absolutely wouldn’t want a woman to take her time?” she teased.  
Then there it was. That feeling stabbing in the pit of her stomach with such intensity Evelynn had to swallow a gasp. It was stronger now, as if demanding Evelynn pay attention to it and not the woman above her. She gripped Akali’s arms, all playfulness vanished from her.  
  
“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay!” Akali hushed, brushing the pad of her thumbs beneath Evelynn’s widened eyes. “Hey, you’re okay.”  
  
Evelynn swallowed hard before clearing her throat. “Yes, I’m okay. I’m fine,” she muttered. She sat up enough for Akali to settle into a seated position in her lap, her thumbs now smoothing over the rapper’s strong arms, brows furrowed, gaze lost.  
  
“Eve, what is it?” Akali gently cradled Evelynn’s face in her hands, forcing the diva to look her in the eye. The slight trace of worry fleeting from the diva’s golden orbs did nothing to assuage Akali’s concern. “What’s wrong?”  
  
It took the whole of a few seconds for Evelynn to effectively remove all traces of negative emotion from her face and don the expertly crafted poised mask she traditionally wore. “It’s nothing,” Evelynn assured, with a small aloof smile. “It’s just a feeling, darling. They come and go. Now,” she patted Akali’s thigh, “get your adorable self in the shower. I’ll make us some coffee.”  
  
The dismissive statement did very little to assure Akali, but the last thing to do was press the matter. She would need to let Evelynn come to her. Reluctantly, Akali removed herself from her lap and stepped onto the floor.  
  
“You’re going to shower with me though right?” Akali smirked, but was only met with a snicker and quick kiss to the cheek.  
  
“No promises, love,” Evelynn winked. She deviated to her large walk-in closet just as Akali proceeded into the attached bathroom and pulled on a dark red silk robe that ended a little too much above the knee to really be considered a robe at all. After that, Evelynn helped herself out of the room just as Akali stepped into the shower.  
  
The large, spacious penthouse that KDA called home was rather silent that morning, save for the sound of breakfast being prepared and the small incoherent banter of the two other band members coming from the kitchen. Evelynn slowly walked down the lavish glass steps to the first floor and greeted Ahri and Kai’sa as they slowly came into view.  
  
“Morning, Eve!” Kai’sa smiled brightly from the kitchen.  
  
“We were just about to come and wake you and Kali,” Ahri said from one of the bar stools at the kitchen island counter. She released a hand from her coffee mug to return the quick hello hug from behind her friend and bandmate gave her.  
  
“And take away you and Bokkie’s alone time?” Evelynn teased as she rounded the island counter to hug Kai’sa’s shoulders. “Never.”  
  
“Coffee is in the pot still,” Kai’sa informed with a quick gesture of her head and Evelynn helped herself.  
  
“Is Akali still sleeping?” Ahri asked.  
  
“She would love to be, but she is getting cleaned up for the day,” Evelynn replied as she finished filling one coffee mug and worked on the next. “I’m about to start getting ready myself.”  
  
“At least eat something first,” Kai’sa chided. “We have a full day today and we all need something. Sit.” She pointed her spatula to an empty seat next to Ahri.  
  
Evelynn finished filling the second coffee mug and took both in hand. Despite the uneasy feeling having lessened a little, it still gnawed the inside of Evelynn’s stomach making even the mention of food off-putting. “Hmm, as delicious as your cooking is, darling, I am not feeling very hungry this morning. I’m sure I’ll find something to pick at throughout the day.”  
  
Ahri squeezed the coffee mug just a little bit tighter. “Eve?”  
  
“It’ll be fine,” Evelynn hushed with a wave of her hand. She grabbed both coffees and proceeded to return back upstairs.  
  
“You’re still feeling it, aren’t you?” Ahri asked quietly.  
  
Evelynn stopped dead in her stride and all fell quiet. There was a pause and all fell still, as if Kai’sa and Ahri were waiting for Evelynn to either confirm or deny what had just been asked.  
  
With a quick clear of her throat, Evelynn glanced over her shoulder and smirked. “It’s just a feeling, Ahri. It comes and goes, like all feelings. Nothing to be concerned about.”  
  
Whatever inquiries Ahri and Kai’sa had died on their lips as Evelynn continued her walk upstairs. Yes, she thought, it was just feeling. It came and it will go once again.

XXXXXXX

But it never did. Within the next few hours it took for the group to prepare enough to be shuffled from their penthouse to the venue for the final show of their tour, the feeling only grew. It failed to subside when they piled into the sleek black Limousine and ran down the final notes for their show that would make the tour finale stand out from their previous sets. Even when they picked up Seraphine from her studio apartment, the young girl’s bright and bubbly personality, which Evelynn usually found charming and endearing, did little to assuage what was eating inside her. Of course, Evelynn did well to hide it from the other girls, but the worried out of the corner glances and occasional touches to the small of her back or her shoulder betrayed the confidence her stoic mask usually possessed.  
  
Now, sitting alone in front of the vanity mirror with nothing but the glow of the fluorescent lights to chase away this dark feeling, Evelynn tried her best to conquer the emptiness within her. She stared deep into her reflection highlighted in the dim light with a deep frown, the black backstage curtain, dark and intimidating, hanging behind her like a shroud. Beside her, her bandmates smiled and giggled away their usual pre-show jitters, but none of their mirth could lift the corners of Evelynn’s lips long enough for it to stick. She was being ridiculous, she reasoned. Just end-concert nerves that manifested into this sickening feeling. They hadn’t had anything this large since the premier of their first song POP/STARS and now with their tour finally coming to a close with this show, the conclusion of their immediate media attention would come to an end. There will be more shows, there will be more albums, more songs, more adoration from their fans. The reflection of Evelynn’s cat-slit eyes flashed defiantly and like smoke before a breeze the tight feeling in her stomach dissipated. There was absolutely no reason to continue feeling this way.  
  
She raised the sharpened edge of the claw of her forefinger and brushed away a stray smear of lipstick before pursing her lips with a satisfied _pop!_  
  
“Hey.” Like a ghost materializing from the void, Akali’s pale hand smoothly slid against her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. Their eyes connected in the mirror, bright gold quenched by calm, comforting gray-blue. “You okay?”  
  
For the first time that evening, Evelynn’s smile pulled itself into place of its own accord and stayed there. Her clawed hand overlapped the rapper’s and gave it squeezed it back. “Never better, darling.”

Akali smiled the biggest genuine smile Evelynn had seen all day and leaned over to meet her girlfriend in a small featherlight kiss, lest they smear their makeup. “Good. Come here! The girls wanna do something!”  
  
Taking Evelynn by the hand, Akali pulled her away from the isolated chair and into the center of Ahri, Kai’sa and Seraphine as they all gathered together in a circle.  
  
At the head of the circle, Ahri swept her gaze across the assembled group. “Well, girls. Last show of the tour. How’re we feeling?”  
  
  
“Nervous,” Kai’sa admitted with a sheepish grin, “but excited and relieved. We’ll all deserve a good long break after this.”  
  
“This is gonna be killer!” Akali chimed in, one hand on her hip and the other raised in a fist above her head. “They won’t know what’s coming to them!”  
  
“We’re gonna nail this, right?” Seraphine asked half-confidently, the slightest tint of worry in her voice, but she quickly shook her head. “No, we are gonna nail this! This is the last show; we need to make it special.”  
  
“Everything will be fine,” Evelynn hushed calmly.  
  
“We’ve done it a thousand times, we can do one more,” Ahri summed with a slight nod. “But Sera’s right. This is the last show, so don’t be afraid to add some pop as well. Our fans need something to remember.”  
  
“KDA!” the voice of a stage manager rang out behind them. “Two minutes to curtain call!”  
  
The blonde stretched out both her hands with pointer and middle fingers out. One by one the remaining band members did the same until they all formed a large, nine-pointed star.  
  
“We got this, girls,” Ahri smiled. Her blue-green eyes swept sideways to Evelynn and when the diva smiled back, they nearly glowed. “‘KDA’ on three. One, two, three!”  
  
“KDA!”  
  
All pairs of hands shot straight up to in the air and for the first time in a couple of days, it was not the emptiness that hollowed out Evelynn’s chest, but light and warm joy. They joy of being with her lovely honorary sisters, her beautiful lover, and their adorable rising star was more than what she could ask for to abate the remaining shreds of darkness still lingering to retake a foothold within her. Yes, with all of them here, there was nothing for her to worry about.  
  
They shuffled away from their assembly behind the stage and took their places behind the black curtain, with Ahri on her left and Akali on her right. It was for the first time that day that Evelynn noticed the curtain wasn’t truly black, but speckled with silver sequins that glinted in the low light every so often.  
  
Evelynn felt a light tap at her left hand and her eyes met Ahri.  
  
“Feeling better?” the group leader asked, and Evelynn nodded.  
  
“Much,” she replied smoothly.  
  
Ahri squeezed Evelynn’s left hand, and Akali her right. A quick passing smile from both Kai’sa and Seraphine were enough to set the diva’s heart ablaze.  
  
The house lights went out.  
  
The spotlights came on.  
  
The curtain rose.  
  
And KDA was there to slay.

XXXXXX

With Ahri’s permission given, the group had no trouble layering on a large does of pizzazz to their usual choreographed routine as they picked through their song set one by one. First, Akali was not hesitant to a little more aggressive during her lines of “THE BADDEST”, taking full advantage of her freedom to bounce, skip, and include the roaring crowd in the various bars of the song.  
  
Next, Kai’sa took extra care in accentuating the specific choreography in “DRUM GO DUM”, even inviting Ahri for a not-so-casual spin into her arms and challenging Akali and Seraphine to a friendly dance-off for a couple bars.  
  
Ahri capitalized on her chance to dazzle the crowd during her shining moment of “I’LL SHOW YOU”, she let all nine of her crystalline tails flow and shimmer with behind her as twirled with each other girls along the stage, even performing a duet for a few bars with Evelynn while Akali, Kai’sa and Seraphine performed backup vocals and choreography behind her.  
  
Finally, it was Evelynn’s turn to shine as the upbeat of Ahri’s song dropped to the low, hypnotic base of “VILLAIN”. The four girls fled from center stage to a little behind their resident diva to allow her to take control as she twisted and turned in a serpentine style towards the font of the stage and began her siren song. This was the moment she was craving for: when all the world’s eyes were on her and only her, feeding into her energy, captivated by every twist and turn, each flash of her eyes, and the elusive, but teasing show of her lashers that were far to early for the beginning portions of the song.  
  
And of course not to let an opportunity go to waste, and with all permission given, Evelynn strutted purposefully towards her girlfriend who had found herself a place in the far right corner of the stage and hooked a clawed finger through the ring zipper of her half-shirt and pulled her close until their noses were merely a hair’s breadth away, much to the excitement of the crowd, but shoved Akali back just as quickly before anything could happen between them. Evelynn spared her secret girlfriend a wink before taking her place at the head of the stage to belt out the first chorus. She felt so alive and light for the first time in a couple days, radiating an energy that simply was not present in the last few concerts. She felt free.  
  
And there it was, and this time there was no ignoring it. The feeling was literally gut-wrenching that Evelynn lost control of the last two bars of the lines and stumbled, the melody leaving her mouth in a jumbled mess. Goose-flesh prickled her skin and an unidentifiable cold sweat broke out across the back of her neck even as the tiny hairs stood up. It was here. Whatever this feeling was, it was beastly, monstrous, and smelled of doom, and it was _here!_  
  
There it was! It was no more than a glint of light out of the corner of her eye different from any camera flash, light stick, or stage spotlight she had encountered, every sense of hers screamed to get low and flee, find an advantageous perch to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible. But before she could react, the glint turned into a flurry of sparks and became nothing short of a shooting star barreling straight for her. Evelynn stood to her full height and raised her arms in what felt like too slow a motion, her lashers reacting as languid as is moving through molasses. Ahri and Kai’sa’s muffled cries were no more than dull whispers as they called her name, desperate to be heard over the blaring bass speakers and surprised cries of the crowd. But there was no mistaking the roaring exclamation of her name and the solid force that crashed into her body. Evelynn hit the stage hard, wincing as the bones in her wrist and knee ached against the collision. She cracked her eyes open just enough to see the slightly blurred tiger striped material of Akali’s pants in front of her, and helplessly watched as those pants came into sharp focus as Akali swayed, took a stumbling step backwards, then another and another until she fell backwards with an arc of dark red blood following her descent.  
  
“AKALI!”  
  
Whatever hold that had been placed on Evelynn vanished. Her lashers shot out from beneath the material of her half-jacket to catch the falling rapper before she hit the ground and cradled her gently before Evelynn could take her in her arms herself.  
  
The lights stadium lights turned on and flooded the stage and rapidly emptying seats as the concertgoers scrambled towards the exits just as security was fighting its way to get in. Somewhere near the front left part of the stadium, there wasn’t ear-piercing bang and another flash. This time, Evelynn was more than prepared to listen to the sense of dread coursing through her. Her lashers curled protectively around the diva and wounded rapper to block the incoming second bullet. It clipped the tough flash-like material of the lasher and Evelynn winced as blood oozed from the wound. She peeked through a gap between the lashers just enough to spy the fleeing crowd and the flash of deep red and thick dark hair melting in among the mass.  
  
Evelynn shivered, eyes widening in absolute shock.  
  
“E-Eve . . .”  
  
A hand weakly pawing at her shoulder was enough to bring Evelynn back to from her thoughts, and she immediately wished it hadn’t. Cradled in her arms, Akali groaned and gasped as she desperately pressed a hand against her chest, wave after wave of dark blood seeping between her fingers and soaking into her half-jacket and half-shirt. Hot tears stung the corners of Evelynn’s eyes as she brushed Akali’s hand aside and peeled away the strips of shredded of Akali’s half-shirt to properly assess the wound and suddenly felt cold as a dark, gaping hole stared back at her from the expanse of her girlfriend’s flesh. The treacherous feeling that had relentlessly been plaguing her was gone and in its place left a deep, freezing nothingness.  
  
“Kali . . . no . . .” Evelynn whimpered the nickname, softly cradling her girlfriend’s face.  
  
Akali shivered and groaned as sharp pain blossomed within her chest and only grew with each agonizing breath she took. She had noticed the danger the same time Evelynn did, having known to recognize the glint of a weapon in low lighting from her childhood training at a dojo with weapons under such conditions. She had hoped to knock the perpetrator off course with the small, knife-like kunai she kept stashed away in her back pouch and hoped she had not only succeeded but wounded the bastard just as much for trying to hurt her woman.  
  
“E-Eve . . . ly- . . .” Akali choked out.  
  
“Shh, shhh,” Evelynn cooed, her voice shaky as she held Akali’s face in one hand. The other pressed firmly to the younger woman’s chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but it only elicited another agonized yelp from the rapper. “Darling, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”  
  
Evelynn parted her lashers behind her. Ahri, Kai’sa, and Seraphine were practically locked in battle with the terrified stage crew and security as they struggled to usher the artists out and away from the immediate zone of danger. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be hurt. Seraphine was dripping in tears as one security officer gripped her arms and forced her away behind the backstage curtain. Ahri flashed all nine of her tails and bared her fangs against two guards that blocked her and Kai’sa from reaching Evelynn and Akali, ignoring the please to wait until the area was confirmed to be safe and secure before offering assistance to their friends.  
  
_Why?_ Evelynn thought as she stared into Ahri and Kai’sa’s terrified and ferocious faces. _Why had I ignored the feeling?! Why did I think it was nothing?!_  
  
Akali grunted and bit back a scream as Evelynn put her weight on the wound. Hot tears slipped down her cheeks as she fought to expel the rancid coppery blood pooling in her mouth just enough for her to say, “I-I’m s-sorry! I-If I h-hadn’t then . . .”  
  
“Hush!” Evelynn snapped, watery eyes flashing through the mascara smears running down her face. “Don’t talk. We’re getting you help.” Whatever strength in her voice failed as Evelynn gently caressed Akali’s cheek soaked with tears. “Just hold on . . .”  
  
But Evelynn knew Akali wouldn’t hold on for much longer. The absolute raw agony of the rapper enveloped her senses to the point of near intoxication that Evelynn would certainly be drunk if not the pain throbbing in her own chest. Her hand and Akali’s shirt were oversaturated with blood that it dripped endlessly down Akali’s side and pooled beneath her back. Akali’s usually warm, pink skin was cold to the touch and washed out with a tone of gray. In a few moments, there would be no holding on, and Akali seemed to know that too.  
  
“B-baby, I-I’m s-scared,” Akali whimpered softly, lip quivering so much the words barely had a chance to form coherently.  
  
Evelynn felt whatever last vestiges of her heart crumble away. The tears that had long remained on her face dripped casually onto Akali’s cheeks, staining them black. This was it. She was going to lose her girlfriend, her lover, the only person she had ever truly trusted her heart with — and it was all her fault.  
  
_No!_ Evelynn cried. _I won’t let her suffer like this. I won’t let this be her fate._  
  
The idea that flowered in her mind was a long shot, not to mention dangerous. If Akali wasn’t strong enough, it would mean her immediate and assured death at the hands of none other than Evelynn herself, or it could save her life, but at a terrible cost. But Evelynn would deal. If Akali had even a remote of a chance to live, even if she would not remain her Akali, then she would take it.  
  
Evelynn plunged the tip of her fang into her lip, effectively slicing open the skin and releasing a steady stream of dark, almost blue, blood dripping down her chin. She gingerly licked at the wound until a healthy amount of blood coated her tongue. She leaned down, barely hovering her lips over Akali’s.  
  
“Don’t be, my love,” Evelynn whispered. She held Akali’s hand over her wound and overlapped hers on top, the force stemming the blood for that much longer. Evelynn’s other hand stroked reassuringly through the hassled strands of Akali’s fringe as both lashers squeezed the pair tighter in their protective embrace. “I’m right here.”  
  
Their lips met in the most bitter kiss either of them had ever received from each other. The hot, heavy taste of copper that accompanied Evelynn’s tongue as it forced itself down Akali’s throat was enough to make her lose her grasp on whatever breath lingering in her lungs. Akali pawed weakly at Evelynn’s shoulder, begging for some kind of release, some mercy from her lover to make her breathe again and not drown in the burning iron-drenched sea forcibly filling her lungs. And just as quickly as it began, Evelynn pulled back to grant her lover’s wish, a thin thread of red saliva the last intimate connection between them.  
  
Akali stared up in bewildered confusion at her lover as cleared the blood from her lips with the back of her hand. Evelynn noticeably repressed a shudder as her tongue guilty prodded all around for the remaining drops of their blood, quickly hiding her action with the back of her hand. The twisted expression of pain masking Akali’s face quickly became marred with a flash of confusion as a new, hollowing feeling lodged itself in her chest along with the puncture wound. Whatever clear vision she had left began to grow dark, as if a veil was being draped over her eyes, and as the hollow feeling deepened, the veil grew darker until it was all she could see Evelynn’s blurred outline, drowned in a sea of inky black, being pulled away from her by two other ghostly gray forms. Akali suddenly became aware of her heartbeat even as everything else drowned out in silence. Her lips formed her lover’s name, futilely reaching out for her. Akali felt her body being lifted not of its own accord, as if she were floating. Her head rolled back, catching a brief glimpse of an empty front row of the venue and she thought how curious it was that no one came to see them. Her eyes slid closed, she lost all feeling in her body, and muttered one final word as a prayer to save her to the hazy black void waiting to envelop her,  
  
“Evelynn.”


	2. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little longer. I think I re-wrote this thing 2 or 3 times before I was completely satisfied with the flow and editing to make sure the details were consistent. I'll try to keep the chapters at moderate length if I can so I don't bore anyone with insanely long chapters.

“ . . . E v e l y n n . . .!”

Her name faded in as softly as it faded out, but barely enough for Evelynn to comprehend that she was being called.

“ . . . Evelynn . . .!”

She blinked slowly as two separate pairs of hands gripped both arms and pulled, loosening whatever grip she had on Akali. Yet, Evelynn could barely feel their strength as she was tugged away from her lover so three paramedics could replace her at Akali’s side. It was like she was caught in a tide with no control over her body as she drifted further and further away from the rapper.

Akali weakly raised a bloody hand, fingers limply outstretched, and Evelynn struggled against the restraining force dragging her towards the backstage to reach back, but to no avail. Within a moment, Evelynn disappeared behind the black curtain and Akali vanished from view.

“‘Kali,” Evelynn whimpered. Fresh tears stung the corners of her eyes and the breath froze in her throat. No, this wasn’t right. She wasn’t supposed to be here away from her, she was supposed to be by her side. “Akali!”

“Evelynn, look at me!” Ahri suddenly moved in her line of vision, nearly nose to nose with the diva. Her light blue eyes were glazed red with tears. Her jaw clenched, and fangs bared as she gripped both side of the diva’s face. “Are you hurt?” Wide, desperate eyes raked over Evelynn’s form. Aside from a bleeding spot that was quick regenerating on her left lasher, Evelynn appeared unharmed, but that hardly put the gumiho at ease.

“‘Kali,” Evelynn muttered. Her golden gaze drifted to the black curtain. She brushed Ahri away. “I need to get to ‘Kali.” She took a step forward, but Ahri pushedher back just as a pair of hands hand pulled on Evelynn’s shoulders.

“Eve, don’t!” Kai’sa barked, prompting the diva to turn and stare dumbly at her. “Akali is hurt! She needs to get to the hospital, and so do you! They’re evacuating us right now! We need to get out of here!”

Ahri and Kai’sa put themselves between Evelynn and the stage. The diva began to protest, set on fighting the two off, when the black curtain shifted then parted in a whirl of motion, drawing the trio’s immediate attention. A paramedic pulled back the curtain for the other two to pull a gurney into their field of view - and on some level all three wished they hadn’t. Akali lay strapped down with a large wad of gauze taped firmly onto her bare chest, the second paramedic keeping one hand pressed firmly to the wound as he helped guide the gurney along past the three pop stars.

Ahri’s hands flew to her mouth, her ears pinned back nearly flat against her head and hot tears poured down her face. Kai’sa barely bit back a cry, unable to remove her gaze from her wounded friend. She tightened her grip on Evelynn’s shoulders as the diva nearly collapsed into her.

The pain. Oh God, _her pain!_ The hot sweetness of it nearly drove Evelynn’s instincts to madness and she hated herself for it. She didn’t want this, not this pain, not like this. _Not Akali’s pain!_

“I-I need to go with her,” Evelynn stammered out loud. She peeled Kai’sa’s fingers from her shoulders one by one, but the dancer would only adjust her grip and hold her that much tighter.

“Eve, no! They’ll take care of her,” Kai’sa said, nearly barking the assurance. The dancer pulled Evelynn to the side as the paramedic that held the curtain approached them and began asking questions, instructing Kai’sa to sit Evelynn down on a nearby chair as he began examining Evelynn for immediate wounds.

“No,” Evelynn moaned, pushing back against the paramedic. “She needs me. I need to be with her.”

Ahri crouched by Evelynn’s side and gripped her hands tightly. “Eve, she’ll be okay,” she squeaked, voice too broken to be even remotely reassuring. “But we need to be sure you’re okay too!”

“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ME! WHAT ABOUT AKALI?!” Evelynn screeched at the gumiho. Her eyes flashed dangerously and prompted Ahri, Kai’sa, and the paramedic to take a step back. Evelynn swallowed hard and nearly froze. She could still taste Akali’s blood. “ . . . I need to be with her . . .”

Ahri and Kai’sa exchanged lost glances, each hoping the other had some kind of idea on what to do, but the longer they stared at each other the more they knew they could do absolutely nothing and it frightened them.

“We need to get her to the hospital for a more thorough exam.” The paramedic’s steady voice cut the tense, momentary silence and prompted all three of them into action. Ahri stepped back to give Evelynn some room while Kai’sa and the paramedic assisted Evelynn up, but Evelynn dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

“I can walk on my own,” the diva growled. She proceeded to the stage backdoor where they had taken Akali, the paramedic sticking close by as he followed after her.

“Ahri, go with Evelynn,” Kai’sa instructed with a nod of her head. “I’ll follow you there with Seraphine.” She squeezed the blonde’s trembling hand.

Ahri paused a moment, as if having trouble registering the comforting touch, but slowly squeezed Kai’sa’s hand back. “Okay,” she murmured with a nod. “Please hurry.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Kai’sa assured firmly.

With one final squeeze, they pulled apart. Ahri followed hotly on Evelynn and the paramedic’s heels and Kai’sa sprinted deeper backstage where Seraphine was taken to be away from the chaos and any potential gunfire. For a brief moment, in this sudden whirlwind of uncertainty, they felt as if they were regaining some bit of control over the situation. However, none of them counted on the chaos that had built up and was ready to explode outside.

Just as the paramedic opened the door to the outside, the excited cries and bright flashes of camera lenses began. Not too far away, a slew of reporters and paparazzi called out to her from behind road dividers while a handful of police and security personnel tried to blocktried to contain the clamoring mass. At any given time, Evelynn would be having her fun with them by striking a saucy pose, sparing a flirty wink or two, or even teasing a detail or two about their group’s personal lives, but now they were little more than an annoyance.

“Get back, all of you!” a police officer shouted.

The paramedic led in front while Ahri appeared on Evelynn’s flank and wrapped her arms around her, shielding her friend as much as she possibly could. The last thing any of them needed were pictures of a bloody Evelynn all across the tabloids, but it was extremely difficult to ignore the splash of bright red dirtying the vibrant blue of Evelynn’s iridescent half-jacket.

A flash of bright yellow movement caught Evelynn’s eye. She glanced up in andfroze in mid-stride, the breath caught in her throat. Not a few feet away, paramedicsfinished loading Akali into the back of one of the two ambulances parked on the street.The paramedic that had been working on Akali’s wound pulled the gurney into the emergency vehicle while the other supported it from the other end. Half of Akali’s face was obscured with an oxygen mask, but her pain was so palpable Evelynn felt she might she choke on it. Her sinister instincts buzzed with excitement, goading the diva to feast on the bounty of agony that was before her, and the thoughts twisted her stomach as she became appalled with herself. She would slay each and every one of these pestilent reporters for the whole world to see before she caved into what her basic needs bid of her.

_I’ll be damned if I were to let her suffer this alone!_

“Eve,” Ahri called, snapping Evelynn out of her trance-like stare. “We need to keep moving.”

“Ahri, she’s in agony!” Evelynn pleaded, pointing at the ambulance. Her stomach dropped as the doors to the ambulance closed shut and the emergency car flashed its lights. “I need to be with her!”

“We will be!” Ahri hushed. She gripped her friend tighter. “We’ll be with her soon, I promise, but not right now. She’ll be all right.”

Evelynn hoped so. From the deepest parts of her heart she thoroughly and truly hoped Akali would be all right, that help had arrived to her just in time and the risk Evelynn took had not been for naught.

Her eyes widened and her blood froze.

The risk! Oh God, the _risk_!

Evelynn had seen the darkness come over Akali’s eyes, how heavy her body felt in her arms, how weak her voice became. Perhaps Evelynn’s risk had come too late and in her desperate haste she had slain the one she had hoped to save the most.

Evelynn could hardly feel her body as the paramedic and Ahri assisted her into the back of the second waiting ambulance and seated her comfortably on the waiting gurney. She could hardly even register the resumed medical examination and Ahri holding her hand. The diva screwed her eyes shut, but all she could see was Akali’sashen, blood-speckled face as her fighting breaths fogged the breathing mask. Evelynn had never been one to believe in a god, but never before had she prayed harder than she did at that moment, nor did the prayers stop even after they arrived at the hospital.

Evelynn was rolled out on the gurney to meet the attention of two waiting nurses and an unfortunate number of paparazzi. Thankfully, there were just enough medical personnel around to effectively shield Evelynn from view as she was wheeled into the hospital for proper medical care and was immediately overwhelmed.

Agony. Sheer pain in its purest form crashed over her like a wave and Evelynn moaned. Once more, her demonic instincts coaxed her to spring from the bed and gorge herself on ever last drop of the sweet torment from every doctor, nurse, patient, and visitor that so much as even lingered by the front door of the hospital, and Evelynn fought hard to keep her body from springing into action. She may not be able to ignore the pain entirely, but she could most certainly utilize it.

Instantly, Evelynn’s search for Akali began. Evelynn had been too up close and personal with Akali’s particular flavor of pain to not pick it out amongst the sea of others, and being wheeled about along the hospital corridors assisted in making her search that much more efficient. Traces of it teased her senses, prompting her to make passing glances into open patient rooms and windows, but none of them revealed Akali and that made Evelynn nervous. She just hoped Akali’s pained scent would remain, and as horrible as that was, it somewhat eased Evelynn’s mind. For if Akali was still in pain, she was still alive and it gave Evelynn hope that she would find her and be by her side.

That small thought gave Evelynn strength enough to endure the remains of the medical examination without much hassle. After it was confirmed that the blood on Evelynn was not hers and she had no life threatening wounds, Evelynn was cleared to leave. Of course, the diva had no intention of doing so and was determined to resume her search for Akali, but no sooner had she stepped out of the examination room was she intercepted by Kai’sa and Seraphine while Ahri stood off to the side talking to a pair of what looked to be plain clothes investigators. Despite their hushed tones, their conversation was almost perfectly coherent, as the wing they were in was nearly empty, most likely to give the group privacy given their celebrity status.

They were discussing what had happened at the concert, with Ahri giving as much detail as she could about what she had seen, which wasn’t much. After all, with the way their choreography was at that particular part of the song, Ahri was too far back on the stage and too overwhelmed with light to properly see what had happened. In turn, the investigators disclosed that the police had recovered a couple bullet casings and that it would be tested for fingerprints, and that there were eyewitness reports of a strange woman dressed was caught lurking backstage before the pop stars arrived.

Evelynn strained her ears and unconsciously took a step towards the trio.

“Evelynn!”

The diva halted mid-stride as Seraphine wrapped her in a tight hug, but her grip did nothing at all to stop her from shaking. “I heard the gunshots and I saw Akali go down! I-I thought it got you too! B-But they pulled m away, I couldn’t s-see what happened!” The rising star hiccuped into Evelynn’s collar, unable to stop the fresh flow of tears that dripped down her flushed face. “I-I was s-so worried about you! I t-thought y-you were hurt!”

Evelynn stiffened, but gradually relaxed and placed her hands on Seraphine’s shoulders to gently pry her away. “I’m all right, Sera,” she nodded before pulling the teal-haired girl away from her entirely.

Kai’sa squeezed up to Seraphine’s side to give the youngest pop star’s shoulders a comforting squeeze as Seraphine cleared away her tears. “We’ve all been worried sick.” Her eyes softened and she pulled Evelynn in for a hug that the diva was more willing to return. “I’m so glad you’re not hurt, Eve.”

“No, I’m all right, Bokkie,” Evelynn repeated as they pulled apart. Her expression turned grim. “Where’s Akali?” Evelynn asked, her tone leaving no room for argument. She had had enough of everyone preventing her from trying to be by her rogue’s side.

Kai’sa pursed her lips into a tight line and her shoulders sagged. “Eve . . . she’s in surgery right now. One of the bullets . . . it nearly pierced her heart . . .” Kai’sa hugged herself and looked away. Seraphine buried her face in her hands as a fresh wave of tearsflowed. Evelynn could only stare. “You . . . can’t be with her right now.”

Somehow those words were the worst to hear. Even with Evelynn’s best efforts, there was no way she could fend off an entire hospital full of staff without compromising Akali’s recovery. Regardless, Ahri and Kai’sa would not let her get very far even if she gave them a good fight. No, there was nothing Evelynn could do for Akali now. She had to let her do this alone.

Once more, the hollow feeling returned. It draped over Evelynn’s shoulders like a shroud, heavy and unbearable, but this time she pulled it closer until it all but enveloped her - until all she could feel was emptiness and cold. If Kai’sa and Seraphine said anything more to her, Evelynn didn’t hear it, nor did she care to. She was sick of this day, sick of everyone around her, but mostly sick with herself knowing the neglect of her instincts caused all of this.

Evelynn curled up in one of the many chairs placed about their private waiting room and glared daggers at the floor. Very faintly, Akali’s pain teased Evelynn like a seductive perfume from somewhere else in the hospital. As long as Akali was in pain, Akali was alive, and Evelynn hated knowing that truth.

The soft shuffling of footsteps caught her attention and of course did nothing to ease her mood. Evelynn took a venomous cursory glance to her right and her frowned deepened. Not only had Ahri finished her conversation with the investigators, but she had brought them along with her to stand by Evelynn’s side. It looked like it was Evelynn’s turn to start answering questions, but unfortunately she was in no mood to give them.

“Leave me alone,” Evelynn warned in an icy tone that set even Ahri on edge. “I have nothing to say.”

One of the investigators cleared his throat. “Miss Evelynn, I’m Special Agent -”

“I don’t care who you are or what you have to ask me,” Evelynn snapped. “I was nearly murdered today, someone I care for is in critical condition and I am not in the mood for idiotic questions.”

The investigators were taken aback by the harsh tone, but their quick recovery it was clear they were in as much of a mood play games as Evelynn was, and Evelynn sensed that too.

The diva sighed deeply. “We were performing. I was at the front of the stage. There was a flash of light, a barely audible bang, and the next thing I see is Akali bleeding in front of me.” A tight frown fixed itself upon her lips and she turned away from the group.

“Evelynn,” Ahri pleaded carefully. “Was there anything else? You must have seen something I didn’t.”

“That is what I saw. I have nothing more to say,” Evelynn stated. Her eyes narrowed.

The investigator that had introduced himself took a daring step forward. Evelynn didn’t appreciate that. “You didn’t see a face?” he pressed. “Maybe you heard them shout something before firing?”

Evelynn steadily rose from the chair. She faced the trio nonchalantly andshifted her weight onto one leg while she crossed one arm underneath her chest while she held he other aloft to tease her bottom lip with the sharp end of one of her metallic claws. The lingering taste of Akali’s blood on the dangerous jewelry only reinforced to Evelynn what she was about to do. A practiced grin tugged at the corner of her lips.At the back of the room, Kai’sa turned her and Seraphine away towards the wall. Ahri hissed softly and averted her eyes even as Evelynn’s began to glow.

“I believe I made myself quite clear when I said I have nothing more to say,” Evelynn declared in a voice that was a little too sweet and lighthearted to be considered even remotely sincere. The aloof smile vanished, the light that glowed in Evelynn’s eyes intensified, and her tone became downright poisonous. “Now get out.”

The private investigators turned heel just as Evelynn did and wordlessly escorted themselves out of that section of the hospital just as Evelynn took up her perch in the chair once more.

Ahri frowned deeply at her friend and band member. “You can’t just do that,” she scolded. “You can’t just use your charm on whoever you like-”

“Can’t?” Evelynn challenged with a quirk of her eyebrow. She hugged herself. “I said you I had nothing to say. Don’t proceed to tell me what I can and cannot do.”

“That’s just it,” Ahri replied. “How can you have _nothing_ to say? Eve” - Ahri settled into the chair next to Evelynn so she could still be heard as she lowered her voice - “you were targeted specifically. This was no accident. Akali is seriously hurt and if we don’t catch the person who did this, they’re going to come back and finish what they started -”

“They won’t!” Evelynn hissed. “Nothing like this will happen again. I’ll make sure of it.”

Ahri worried her bottom lip and gripped the armrest of her seat a little tighter.“. . . You . . . You know who it was, don’t you?”

Silence.

“Evelynn,” Ahri called.

Evelynn turned away from her.

Ahri’s tail flicked irritatedly. If she had truly wanted to she could force Evelynn to tell her just to avoid this nonsense; her stubbornness was only hurting them all in the end, but she had known the diva long enough to know such a battle would be futile and may even be more detrimental. No, whatever answers Ahri needed had to be given by Evelynn willingly.

“This isn’t over,” Ahri warned as she removed herself from Evelynn’s side.

Evelynn wordlessly agreed. No, this wasn’t over, but if the plan cooking in her brain had its way, it would be over soon enough.


	3. Not Leaving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I need to stop trying to write these things within a couple of days. Sorry this took so long. The chapter went on a lot longer than I had expected, and to be honest it was originally going to be longer. Shout out to my fiancee for helping me review and edit this along the way.**

The clock on the wall indicted that only a couple hours had passed, but to the members of K/DA waiting in the hospital room felt like an eternity. Since the investigators left, Evelynn had not left her respective corner while Ahri had not left the small unit she made with Seraphine and Kai’sa in the other. They whispered consolations and hopeful words to each other, trying with all their might to remain positive as they anxiously waited for any update on Akali’s condition. It didn’t help matters that any nurse or doctor that came their way didn’t stick around long enough for them to give a detailed answer, but always insisting to update the group when Akali was released from surgery. Exhausted, drained, and running low on optimism, they continued to wait for an answer.

Kai’sa rolled her neck for the third time and let her hand linger long enough to massage the sore muscle. She stood sentry-like against the wall and surveyed her two bandmates in front of her.

Ahri sat with legs crossed on her left, the tip of her crystalline tail twitching ever so slightly to match the motion of her ears. Her teal eyes were trained on the floor, brow knit in concentration as she drew further into her own thoughts.

To Kai’sa’s right, Seraphine was sound asleep, tucked into a makeshift bed they had made from two of the waiting room chairs. Kai’sa’s green jacket was draped over like a blanket, nearly engulfing the smaller girl. Kai’sa envied how Seraphine could fall asleep and wished so desperately she could do the same, but the worry that had mounted in her chest and the headache pounding in her skull made it nigh impossible. So, instead Kai’sa resumed massaging her neck and shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she slowly lifted her head skyward.

“Hey.”

The soft call and the slight touch at her elbow made Kai’sa glance earthward and allow a small, forlorn smile as Ahri moved to lightly cradle her arm.

“You’re going to fall over if you keep standing like that,” Ahri warned gently, giving Kai’sa’s arm a soft squeeze. She glanced over her shoulder to Seraphine then back at Kai’sa. “Why don’t you take her to the penthouse? I’ll keep watch here.”

“I can’t leave,” Kai’sa argued in a hushed tone. “What if something happens? Akali could come out anytime now and I want to be here.”

“I know you do,” Ahri soothed, “and I’ll let you know if something happens. ButSeraphine can’t sleep in a chair all night, you’re exhausted, and frankly I’m not sure how much longer we’ll all be able to stay here.” Her fingers inched downward and linked with Kai’sa’s. “Please, for me. I can’t have something happen to you too, even if we are in a hospital.”

With the touch of her hand, Kai’sa was convinced. She hated that it didn’t take Ahri’s charm to make her do whatever she wanted. With a heavy sigh, Kai’sa reluctantly nodded. “All right. But you have to _promise_ that if anything happens — anything at all — you tell me straight away.”

Ahri caught her eye and Kai’sa wasn’t sure when was the last time she saw such seriousness in them. “I promise.”

“Okay,” Kai’sa muttered. Her thumb brushed over Ahri’s knuckles and she leaned in to give her a parting kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

Ahri smiled softly and gave Kai’sa’s hand one last parting squeeze. Kai’sa roused Seraphine enough so she could walk on her own, but Kai'sa kept a hand on her shoulder just in case. The Gumiho didn’t take her eyes off the pair even as they made their way through the doors that separated them from the rest of the hospital. There was a brief chorus of sound as the door opened, Kai’sa and Seraphine stepped out, the door closed, and then there was silence.

With nothing to fill her ears but the gentle ticking of the clock and her own heartbeat, the Gumiho hugged herself. In this big, empty waiting room she almost felt completely alone. Almost, if not for the pair of eyes she felt glaring absolute daggers into her back. Carefully, Ahri turned to meet those eyes and was not disappointed to find them holding her gaze when she did.

Evelynn had barely moved from her self-designated spot in the corner, save for the ever so slight change in her seated posture. The diva had one leg crossed over the eye, chin tucked as she stared hard at Ahri. Evelynn teased her bottom lip with the knuckles of one hand while the other gripped firmly onto one of the arm rests, carving light scratches into the resin coating.

The tip of Ahri’s tail flicked unsettlingly and ever so slightly the tips of her ears bent backwards towards her head. Every ounce of her being screamed at her not to approach the diva, let alone look in her direction. Whether the diva knew it or not, Evelynn was issuing a challenge, as if daring Ahri to say so much as a word to her, but the Gumiho could no longer ignore the absolute vitriol radiating from the diva. Ahri had to say something to diffuse the tension now stifling the room. Steeling herself, Ahri dared to approach her bandmate, but stopped at the middle row of chairs between them. Her eyes softened as much as they could, but the seriousness behind them remained.

“You’re tense,” Ahri said in as light a voice as she could.

Evelynn didn’t even so much as move. Her nail dug a little deeper into the armrest.

“I know you’re worried,” Ahri tried again. “We all are, but she’ll be out soon. I promise.”

Evelynn’s eyes narrowed.

Ahri’s ears dipped further against her head. “Eve . . . why don’t you follow Kai’sa home? You’re exhausted and I’m worried -”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Evelynn hissed and Ahri pressed her lips into a tight line. There was no warmth or protective possession in her statement. No, there was a new tone in Evelynn’s voice, something more sinister - darker - and it frightened Ahri.

“Okay,” Ahri said carefully. “If you won’t go home . . . then at least take a walk outside or something. It’s not doing you any good -” The rest of the sentence died on her lips as Evelynn abruptly jumped out of her seat and nearly raced towards the door. The diva’s lashers flailed agitatedly behind her and the heel of her stiletto shoes nearly dug craters into the linoleum floor. Her hand was upon the door handle when Ahri called out.

“Evelynn!”

Evelynn glared over her shoulder.

Ahri shifted her weight from one leg to the other, but did not falter under that venomous stare. “Take your phone with you, just in case.”

Evelynn scoffed and shook her head before whipping out her cell phone and holding it up mockingly for Ahri to see. Before Ahri could say any more, Evelynn let herself out of the waiting room, but the hallway offered no comfort.

The noise, the orders, the rushing of medical staff and patients nearly overwhelmed her senses. Evelynn felt like she was going to drown in the waiting room as the delectable scents of the everyone’s pain called out to her sinister senses and now was barely holding control.

Clinging to the last vestiges of reason, Evelynn escorted herself down the hallway and to the nearest outside door. She burst through it with a gasp and stumbled forward to prop herself up against a tree. The door led to a meager courtyard that was no bigger than half a basketball court and sparsely populated by trees, but to Evelynn there was no better sanctuary. Out here amongst the fresh dusk air and the concrete and trees, the tantalizing temptation of pain held less sway and for Evelynn that was enough.

She took a deep breath rested her back against the tree, all but cradling herself in her lashers. Hearing the absolute cries and moans of all the suffering in the hospital was more than Evelynn could bear, and being kept away from them by nothing than twin thin slabs of painted wood, glass, and steel made it all the worse. It would take no effort at all for Evelynn to don her stealthy robe and have her way with all the injured and dying in every square inch of the hospital.

Evelynn swallowed hard and held herself tighter, but that did nothing to stop her mind from wandering.

Yes, she would work her way to the weakest ones first just to whet her appetite, the ones who would be pronounced dead in within a moment’s notice. A flicker of the lights here, a ghostly touch there, and their fear would call to her like the wails of a doomed animal. A knick here, a well-placed slice there, and their ensuing death would be the catalyst that would spur Evelynn on to more challenging prey, the ones everyone were so hopeful would recover and go about their merry way, only for them to have an unfortunate “turn of events” right in front of waiting family and friends. And on and on it would go until the entire hospital would be at its knees, and Evelynn would be there to soak in every last gloriously sweet drop.

Evelynn swayed and she steadied herself against the tree before she collapsed entirely. A familiar static prickled her skin and she bit her lip to stifle an uninvited moan. Whatever hold she had over her desires was now gone. She had to sate this craving, whatever it took. If Ahri somehow caught on, then Evelynn would deal with her; it wouldn’t be the first time and the Gumiho would more or less leave her to her own devices. After all, she would understand it the most of everyone in their group.

Taking a cautionary glance around, Evelynn slowly left the base of the shade of the tree to a particularly darker corner of the courtyard where the shadows of the deepening dusk seemed to beckon her into their embrace. The diva shut her eyes and nearly hummed as she caved into their enticing call. A cold shiver bled up her spine and made her skin prickle. Her senses sharpened, her heartbeat quickened, and when Evelynn opened her eyes everything was doused in a beautiful crimson mist that pooled mildly in the courtyard and seeped in endless clouds from between the cracks of the hospital doors.

Evelynn smirked and her lashers twitched excitedly behind her as she allowed herself into the hospital once more, nearly flinging open the doors as if she expected along-awaited grand welcome. The hallway before her was saturated in bloody perfumed clouds punctuated with the sharp, sudden movements of skeletal figures wreathed in white and gray mist. The typical noises of the hospital were replaced now with soft, drawn out cries of the injured and dying, enticing Evelynn with their calls.

The diva couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, unadulterated zeal tingling throughout her entire body. God, how she had missed this! The torment of ignoring all of this delicious pain had been nigh unbearable and here she was in the absolute thick of it all with nothing or no one to stand in her way. Not even Ahri.

With a content hum, Evelynn purposefully stalked the halls, peeking into every room and around every corner she could. In one room off to her left, there was a young man cradling his twisted and bleeding arm. In another, an elderly woman stared helplessly skyward as nurses struggled find a viable vein for an IV. A third room showed a small child moaning weakly in his mother’s arms as his fever continued to climb.

_So many choices, so many possibilities_ , Evelynn thought, but none of them in particular had caught her attention. As much as she would like to dive right in, she would need to be delicate about this. She would need to start small, simple, and work her way up. And she found it no more than a few moments later as she took a detour into a branching hallway and spied the last room on her left.

The deep red fog emanating from the room was darker than the others in this section and only hinted at the ripe agony within. Evelynn peeked her head through the glass window, there was an older man lying still within the dark room. Heavy bruising, bandages, and wires along his arms and chest indicated a terrible accident, or some other misfortune; Evelynn didn’t care about the details. All she cared about was scoring her first kill.

The diva let herself into the room, cracking the door ever so slightly that it made the softest of creaks to catch the man’s attention. Disturbed from his sleep, he lifted his head just enough to spy the door and his brow furrowed in confusion. Evelynn grinned as he called out for whoever had come in, with no answer. The diva slipped silently along the length of the room, gaze fixed upon her target. The man shifted to lie back down, but nearly sat all the way up when an amused giggle chimed throughout the room. He called out again, a little louder this time, and Evelynn responded in kind. Her shadowy robe slipped just a little, revealing her specter-like outline for only a moment before vanishing just as quickly. Evelynn purred as the beat of his heart monitor quickened and a chill rippled across his flushed skin. This was almost too easy. She trailed her claws across the wall, making sure to not cut deep enough to leave marks, but the noise alone was enough to make him gasp. The beat heart monitor was nearly deafening, his fear was stifling, and Evelynn could no longer wait.

She shed her invisible shroud enough for her to emerge from the shadows as a shapely silhouetted outline, her golden cat-slit eyes hiding none of the malicious intent of what she was about to do to the man squirming in front of her.

“First time being tortured?” she asked almost too sweetly. “Don’t worry, I’ll do _everything_.”

The man whimpered and held up a hand, begging her to stay away. He shuffled back into his hospital bed just as she crawled forward onto it. Her lashers poised high behind her, ready to pierce the man straight through—!

_I'll show you what I'm made of_

_Rise to the occasion_

_Got fears, but I face them, oh-oh_

_And I'll show you what I'm made of_

_A heart full of fire, looking at a fighter, oh-oh_

Evelynn’s heart dropped to her stomach as the song permeated the room and her phone buzzed at her hip. With an incensed growl, she vanished in a whirl of mist and shadow to leave the man a confused, blubbering mess. Her nostrils flared and her lips curled into a fierce snarl as silenced the incoming phone call from Ahri.

So close! She was. SO. _CLOSE!_

Evelynn made a beeline to the waiting room she had left Ahri in, disregardinganyone and anything that happened to pass in her way. Evelynn burst through the doors just as a surgeon was walking away, her sudden entrance catching Ahri completely off guard. Evelynn stored towards the Gumiho and Ahri took a cautionary step back, unable to disregard the absolute fury painted across the diva’s face.

“What is it?” Evelynn snarled.

“What happened to -?” Ahri began.

“What is it?!” Evelynn fumed. Her lashers nearly smacked the floor, daring Ahri to give her a trivial reason why she suddenly called her back.

Ahri tucked her ears nearly flat against her head, forcing down the goosebumps prickling her skin that warned her to run from the danger before her. “Eve, you need to get out of here. You need to go home -”

Evelynn’s eyes flashed. “WHAT. IS. IT?”

“It’s Akali.”

The fury boiling in Evelynn’s veins extinguished and the snarl was wiped from her face.

“ . . . Akali?” Evelynn murmured. Suddenly she was the one fighting back goosebumps. “Ahri . . . please tell me she’s -”

“She’s okay,” the Gumiho assured with a slight nod and Evelynn felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Ahri watched Evelynn carefully as the diva released a heavy breath and allow a small smile. “They were able to get the bullet, but - Evelynn, don’t!”Ahri caught the diva just as she made a mad dash for the room she had been examined in earlier that day.

“She’s in pain,” Evelynn whimpered. “She needs me.”

“She’s in critical condition,” Ahri replied. She tightened her grip on Evelynn’s shoulders. “Eve, they were able to get the bullet but a lot of damage was done and they noticed there was some abnormal bleeding . . .” Ahri tucked her head, fighting thegrowing knot in her throat. “I saw her when they brought her to the room . . . she doesn’t look good, Eve . . . Which is why I can’t let you near her.”

“You can’t keep me from her,” Evelynn said firmly.

“I can, and I have to, Evelynn,” Ahri replied just as firmly, if not more so. “You’re not in the right headspace for this. Ever since we’ve been here you’ve looked like you wanted to tear everyone to shreds. This isn’t a good place for you right now. And with Akali as she is - ”

“Stop,” Evelynn commanded. “Don’t even think it. I would _never_ hurt her. I tried to save her!”

“Then save her by letting her rest,” Ahri reasoned. “We’ve all been through a lot today. We all need rest.”

“Ahri, please.” There was a new emotion behind Evelynn’s eyes and Ahri swore she was crying. “For my sanity, I need to see her.”

For the longest time, Ahri could only stare at Evelynn while she wrestled with herself. Her better judgement said it was too dangerous. Evelynn was in too much of a heightened state to even entertain the thought, no matter how many times Evelynn claimed she would never do anything to hurt Akali. Yet at the same time, she understood. After all, she herself would give anything to be by Akali’s side and do everything in her power to help her through this, but it was out of her hands. It was up to Akali now . . . but that didn’t mean they could not support her from afar until they could be by her side again.

“Okay,” Ahri conceded, slowly releasing her hold on Evelynn, “but only from the window. We can’t go in.”

The window! How could Evelynn stare at Akali through a window like some wounded animal to be observed? But a decisive glance from Ahri was enough for Evelynn to know there was no compromises — either this or nothing.

“Thank you,” Evelynn nodded and drifted away from Ahri’s side to the window of the room. She spied Akali even before she was fully at the glass and nearly pressed herself against it as she fully took in the sight before her.

Akali lay half-propped up in the hospital bed, flanked on both sides by an IV line and a heart monitor. She was dressed in a hospital gown that was one size too big for her, the edge of heavy gauze peeking out just beneath the collar. Her skin was ashen, her chest rising and falling a little too slowly.

And the pain. Evelynn didn’t need to be in her shadow form to guess just how dark the mist around Akali was.

Evelynn pressed a hand to the glass as Ahri squeezed up to her side. She wanted to say something to comfort the diva, but what could she say? That Akali would be all right? They had been saying it all along, but in the back of her mind who truly knew if that was so? So they both lingered in silence as if their proximity would keep Akali’s heart monitor beeping that much longer. They didn’t know how long they had stayed just watching Akali’s chest rise and fall, but Ahri knew it was time for them to go. A quick glance at the clock that read ten minutes to eleven indicated as such.

“Eve,” Ahri whispered. She softly tugged her elbow. “Come on, we have to go. We’ll come back in the morning.”

“Just a few more minutes,” Evelynn said, her eyes fixed upon Akali.

“We can’t,” Ahri replied tiredly. “We both need rest and she does too. I promise nothing will happen to her. We will come back in the morning.”

So badly Evelynn wanted to protest to stay. By all means she could slip into her shadow form and hide in Akali’s room, but Ahri was right. All day she hadn’t drunk, eaten, or slept, and her denial of feasting on pain had left her weary where she felt like she could sit in one of the chairs and sleep for hours. She was of no use to Akali in this state and if she was going to remain strong for her, then she needed to make sure she gathered her strength to do so.

Evelynn touched her claws to her lips and placed them gently against the window. “I’m always with you, my darling,” she whispered.

Reluctantly, she removed her hand and stayed by Ahri’s side as they shuffled towards the waiting room doors.

Ahri pushed the door open. Evelynn glanced back at the room. They stepped into the hallway. The doors swung closed. And Akali was gone.

* * *

For the third time in as many minutes, Kai’sa flicked her eyes to the door of the penthouse before looking away. Ahri had texted her that Akali had been released from surgery and she and Evelynn were on their way back home. Kai’sa was curious as to why Ahri didn’t send for her and Seraphine to come back to the hospital to wait by their friend’s side together, but an ominous “I’ll explain when we get there” left Kai’sa in a pool of dread. Had something happened? Was Akali’s condition worse than they had previously thought?

Kai’sa gnawed on her lower lip as the questions gnawed at her mind and she found herself looking at the door for the fourth time.

From across the way in the living room, Seraphine worried her lower lip. Kai’sa had been nothing but collected the whole ride from the hospital, even as Seraphinewas near tears and begged her to turn around. Now, this new anxious energy was setting her on edge and made her wonder if there was more to the story than the little she was being told.

“Kai . . .?” Seraphine called softly, leaning forward to get a better view of the older woman’s face.

Kai’sa blinked as if snapped from a trance. “Oh! Sera,” she said, clearing her throat. “Um, I’m sorry, were you calling me?”

“Only just now,” Seraphine replied. Her brow furrowed and her lips pulled into a tight line. “Are you okay? You’ve been staring at the door a lot.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kai’sa nodded. “Nervous energy, you know? Eve and Ahri are coming back and I guess . . .” — the that had been hollowing out her stomach deepened — “ I’m just wondering what news they have for us.”

“Hey.” Seraphine left her spot on the couch to be by the dancer’s side. While neither of them could do anything to dismiss the anxiety, Seraphine tried her best to smile. “Everything will be ok. I’ve only known you all for a short time, but I know Akali will get better. She won’t let this beat her. They’re going to catch the guy who did this and . . . and make sure nothing like this happens again.” Her eyes softened, but the glimmer of tears that washed over Seraphine’s blue eyes was not lost on Kai’sa. “And . . . we’re . . . we’re g-gonna be o-okay!”

“Sera . . .” Kai’sa hushed her as she enveloped the younger woman in a strong hug as she cried into her chest.

“W-why?” Seraphine stuttered between sobs. “W-why did t-this h-happen?” She rubbed furiously at her eyes. “Y-you’re all so good and helpful and kind . . . why did would s-someone do this?!”

Kai’sa swallowed the knot stubbornly tightening her throat. “I . . . I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “Sometimes, these things just happen. And we’re not sure why. But let me tell you something.” She drew Seraphine out of her chest enough to cradle her flushed, tear stained face in her hands. “We’re going to be okay. Akali is strong and will recover in no time. We’re not people to be taken out that easily.” Her thumb brushed away another tear that threatened to fall. “I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Seraphine sniffled. “Do you believe that, Kai’sa?”

“Yes,” Kai’sa affirmed.

The soft turning of the doorknob caught both of their attention. Seraphine tried to compose herself as best she could, smearing away her tears while Kai’sa kept a reassuring hand on Seraphine’s shoulder. Ahri solemnly stepped into the penthouse first, followed by Evelynn. Kai’sa gave Seraphine’s shoulder a light squeeze before hurrying to intercept the others.

“I’m glad you made it here safe,” she said, sweeping Ahri into a hug. The Gumiho was more than willing to receive it and buried her face in Kai’sa shoulder.

“Me too,” Ahri murmured. She shut her eyes and allowed herself to relax in Kai’sa’s strong, slender arms.

“And Akali’s okay?” Seraphine asked.

Ahri pulled away from Kai’sa and glanced at Evelynn, who had taken a seat on the couch. Her back was turned to the trio. “Akali is . . . resting,” Ahri said. “The surgery was a success and she’s recovering.”

“We could have gone to you,” Kai’sa said, stepping back to hold Ahri’s hands.

“We were all exhausted, and Akali needed rest,” Ahri replied. “Not to mention we would have been kicked out sooner or later, since visiting hours and we’re not exactly her blood relatives.”

“So then . . . did you tell Akali’s family?” Seraphine asked. “I mean, they have a right to know, don’t they? My dad wouldn’t stop calling me when he found out about what happened.”

“We’re not involving _them_ ,” Evelynn hissed.

Seraphine blanched, but Ahri soothed her with a soft expression. “Under normal circumstances, you’d be right, Sera, but Evelynn’s right. It’s best we don’t have them involved.”

“But they’re her family,” Seraphine started to argue.

“By blood, yes,” Ahri agreed, “but believe me when I say it’s easier to not have them involved right now. We’ll take care of it, but we’re also Akali’s family. And in the morning we’re going to be right by her side and help her through this.” She squeezed Kai’sa’s hand tightly. “We’re not going to leave her.”

Evelynn scoffed and removed herself from the couch to march upstairs, the harshness of her footsteps matching her irritation. She disappeared from view and in a moment, the door to her room opened and nearly slammed shut. An uncomfortable silence permeated the main floor and for a few moments, Ahri, Kai’sa, and Seraphine could do nothing but look from one to the other and shift their weight uneasily.

Kai’sa bit the inside of her cheek before giving Ahri’s elbow a squeeze. “I’ll make you some dinner.” Kai’sa left Ahri to hug herself as she busied herself in the kitchen.

“Sera, if you want to go home, I can drive you,” Ahri offered.

“Actually . . .” Seraphine wrung her hands. “Can I stay here with you guys tonight? I don’t . . . feel like being alone.”

Ahri felt her heart break. “But what about Bao?” she asked. “I’m sure he misses you.”

Seraphine looked up with her big, blue eyes and immediately Ahri knew.

The Gumiho stole a quick glance to Kai’sa and after a brief pause the dancer sighed and nodded.

“Come on, we’ll go pick him up,” Ahri said, smiling for the first time that day as Seraphine gave her the biggest grin. She pulled Seraphine to her side as they left, promising Kai’sa they wouldn’t be too long. Kai’sa merely smiled, promised dinner would be ready by the time they got back, and watched as the door closed behind them.

Now alone, Kai’sa dared a glance from the kitchen to the stairs. A part of her wanted to go to Evelynn and comfort her in some way, but also knew Evelynn would need space to herself, especially after storming off like that. No, it was best to let things settle for the time being and visit in the morning when everyone had time to rest.

“For now, let’s focus on something good,” she said to herself as she filled a pot with water and left it on the stove to boil.

True to her word, the dinner of meat and green bean stew was hot and ready by the time Ahri and Seraphine came back with Bao, along with everything he would need for the night. Bao howled as his pink cat carrier was set down and Seraphine let him out, chasing after the cat as he slunk about to explore his new surroundings. Once Seraphine made sure he was safe, she opened a small can of food for him before settling down next to Ahri at the kitchen island to have her own meal. The three of them ate in near silence, punctuated only by the initial “thank you” to Kai’sa so making the meal. Seraphine offered to take some up to Evelynn, certain that she would be hungry, but Ahri assured her Evelynn would serve herself when she was ready and it was best to leave her alone. Nonetheless, Kai’sa prepared a separate container of leftovers for Evelynn once dinner was through.

After that, Ahri helped to prepare the convertible couch bed in the living room for Seraphine while Kai’sa cleaned the dishes and Seraphine readied herself for bed, each more absorbed in their tasks than in engaging in conversation with one another. Once Seraphine had returned to the living room, Ahri and Kai’sa bid her a goodnight and a promise that things would be better in the morning. The trio said their final goodnights as Kai’sa and Ahri ascended the stairs and Seraphine settled into bed with Bao at her side.

“It’s okay, Bao,” Seraphine whispered. She lifted the cat up and placed him on her chest. She stroked his cheeks and he happily started to purr, settling comfortably on her chest. Seraphine scratched him under his chin. “Akali will be okay, and we’ll be safe. Nothing . . . bad will happen again.”

* * *

Kai’sa wrapped an arm around Ahri’s shoulders as they stopped little bit into the hallway of the upper floor.

“Your room or mine?” she asked, giving Ahri a light squeeze.

“Yours,” Ahri sighed, nearly leaning her full weight into the other woman.

A silent nod confirmed Ahri’s choice and they walked together to the left to a door recessed within a smaller branching hallway. Kai’sa opened the door and guided Ahri by the hand to sit on the slightly disheveled bed. Ahri sighed deeply downcast her head, ears dropping ever so slightly to the side. She stared at her hands, absently fiddling with her fingers. Kai’sa sat on her knees in front of her and rested her forearms lightly on Ahri’s thighs before placing her chin where her wrists met.

“I can draw you a bath,” Kai’sa suggested gently. “I can put in your favorite bath bomb, light a couple candles?” She nuzzled Ahri’s fingers. “It’ll make you feel better.”

Ahri wet her lips and gave a small nod. “Sure, that sounds . . . nice.”

“Okay.” Kai’sa kissed her cheek lightly before leaving her side to enter the personal bathroom attached to her room.

Alone with her thoughts, Ahri drew her legs into her chest and hugged them. She rested her chin on her knees and coiled her tail around herself. She tried hard to push all of the day’s events from her mind, but they pounded at the back of her mind, primed to take over and shatter the first shred of peace she had had all day. But the longer she fought, the more she felt herself slipping, and the more frightened she felt, until a light touch at her hand pulled her out of her mind.

“Hey,” Kai’sa called. “Come here.” She gently slipped her hand into Ahri’s and pulled her to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as she led Ahri to the bathroom. The lights were dimmed ever so slightly, accenting the glow of the trios of candles lit next to the sink and small bath side table. Perfumed steam rose slowly from the light pink bath water in the porcelain bathtub, and a closer inspection revealedpink rose and daisy petals swaying gently in the water.

Ahri’s shoulders visibly relaxed and she leaned into Kai’sa, nuzzling her neck. “You spoil me.”

“Not enough as I should,” Kai’sa replied. She kissed Ahri’s forehead before shifting behind her and began to undress the Gumiho, who accepted without any hesitation. Kai’sa kissed Ahri’s bare shoulder and helped her into the bathtub.

Ahri shivered and hummed, her skin breaking out into goosebumps. She leaned back into the bathtub and shut her eyes, fully absorbing the heat as it sank into her sore muscles. She felt like she would drift to sleep any moment, even more so when an equally warm body stepped into the bath with her. Ahri shifted enough for Kai’sa to sit behind her and leaned back into the older woman’s waiting arms.

“This feels so nice,” Ahri sighed, nuzzling against Kai’sa’s shoulder.

“I think we’ve earned it after today,” Kai’sa agreed. She pulled Ahri’s hair aside to pepper the back of her neck with small kisses.

Ahri frowned. “Today . . .” She sank deeper into Kai’sa and the thoughts and had struggled so hard to keep at bay reigned. “Today wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I know,” Kai’sa nodded, “but none of us could have known. Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“Maybe that was my mistake!” Ahri retorted. She sat up and ran a wet hand through her hair, gripping the roots. “There should have been extra precautions. I’m the leader of this group; I shouldn’t have treated the concert so trivially. If anyone was going to try anything, _of course_ it would be on the last day of our tour!”

“Stop it,” Kai’sa ordered, sitting up just as quickly. “You couldn’t have known -nobody could’ve known. This isn’t you fault.”

“Yes, it is, Kai’sa!” Ahri retorted. “It’s my responsibility to keep everyone safe, but look what happened: Akali got shot, we all could’ve been killed . . .” Ahri shook her head. “All because I just didn’t _think_!”

“Ahri!” Kai’sa took Ahri’s face in her hands and forced their eyes to meet, desperate blue staring into firm violet. “This is _not_ your fault. Nobody - _nobody_ \- could’ve known this was going to happen . . . but it did, and it was not your fault. What we can do now is make sure it doesn’t happen again.” The pad of her thumb brushed under Ahri’s eye and Kai’sa softened. “But we got out of there safe. No one else got hurt. Akali got help in time and she’ll pull through.” Kai’sa leaned forward and touched their foreheads. “We’re safe.”

Safe. Ahri wanted to believe that; in fact, she tried so desperately to, but she knew better. If what she suspected at the hospital was correct, they were _far_ from safe.

“I didn’t tell you what happened, did I?” Ahri asked lowly that Kai’sa had to strain to hear it.

The dancer pulled back, remembering the text. “You . . . mentioned that we would talk about it when you got back,” she reminded.

“Right . . .” Ahri sighed deeply. “Kai . . . we can’t have Evelynn go back there. At least not without one of us with her at all times.”

Kai’sa blinked. “What? Why not?” Ahri frowned and Kai’sa blanched. “Please tell me she didn’t.”

“I don’t know for sure,” Ahri admitted, “but she was so tense in that chair that I told her to take a walk. I just thought everything that had happened had gotten to her and she needed from fresh air. She was gone for a long while and when I called her to come back, she came storming into the room absolutely furious. I’m concerned she was about to do something or did something and I interrupted her.” Her brow furrowed. “It was being around all that pain, I’m sure of it. And there’s no question that Akali is in _a lot_ of pain. Evelynn was all but tearing herself apart to be with her.”

“No, Evelynn loves Akali,” Kai’sa countered. “For all we know she’s the only one she’s ever loved. She wouldn’t jeopardize that, even if temptation was there.”

“Kai’sa.” Their eyes met and Kai’sa couldn’t remember the last time she say such raw truth in them. “When has love ever stopped a predator when it’s hungry?” Ahri asked softly.

Kai’sa grew silent.

The Gumiho wet her lips. “I understand her, I do. Even though we do everything we can to abate it, our natural urges just . . . become too hard to ignore sometimes.” Her fingertips swirled in the water, making the little petals that gathered between them dance. “But we try. God, do we try.”

“And you don’t think Evelynn would try just as hard?” Kai’sa countered.

“She did,” Ahri replied. “The whole time she was shaking in that chair, glaring, she was trying so hard to hold herself back, and depending one when the last time she sated herself, I guarantee you it just become impossible to ignore any longer.”

Kai’sa’s shoulders sagged. “Then . . . should we just keep her away from Akali altogether? At least until she is somewhat recovered?”

Ahri shook her head. “No, it’d probably cause us more problems if we tried to. We’ll just have to watch her, and be ready if something happens.”

“Alright,” Kai’sa nodded.

A question bubbled in the back of her mind and she fought with herself whether she should ask. After all, she was confident she knew the answer, but until she heard it she could not be too sure.

“Would you ever hurt me if your urges become too hard to ignore?” she whispered.

Ahri grew silent and she swore her heart stopped beating. A chill crawled over her skin and her ears bent back in horror. She grazed her fingertips against Kai’sa’s cheek before cradling it in her hand. Kai’sa closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, overlapping Ahri’s slightly smaller hand with her own. A knot tightened in the Gumiho’s throat and she swallow hard, prompting Kai’sa to look up. Kai’sa's heart sunk as Ahri’s beautiful blue eyes drowned in tears.

“I . . . can’t promise you that I would not lose control, because I have,” Ahri started hesitantly. “I can’t promise you there will not be temptation because it is always there; the instincts are always there. They are part of me, and as much as I want to, I can never be rid of them.” Ahri’s other hand claimed Kai’sa’s other cheek and she held the dancer’s face firmly in place. “But I can promise you that I am doing and will do _everything_ in my power to make sure you do not fall victim to them. I will not lose, you Kai’sa.”

The Gumiho was nearly taken aback as Kai’sa’s lips crashed into hers, strong arms around her pulling into Kai’sa’s lap for a deep kiss. They broke apart for air, Kai’sa’s lips hanging just a hair’s breadth away from Ahri’s quivering ones.

“You will not lose me,” Kai’sa affirmed. “With all my strength, I will make sure you are not overcome by your instincts. I will protect you just as much you will protect me. We will do this, together.” Their foreheads touched. “You are not alone.”

Ahri barely stopped herself from sobbing, but was unable to stop the next one that pushed through. The Gumiho curled tightly into Kai’sa chest, burying her face in her neck. Kai’sa held her just as tightly, bringing Ahri as close into her as she possibly could.

“I’m right here,” Kai’sa hushed. She gently kissed Ahri’s ear and rubbed her cheek against her hair.

“Please, always be here,” Ahri begged breathily. She drifted her hands along Kai’sa’s back, over her shoulders, her neck, and cupped her cheek again. “Please say you’ll always be here.”

“I’m right here.” Kai’sa took Ahri’s hand away from her cheek and placed it over her chest pressing it down ever so slightly so the blonde could feel the steady pulse beneath. “And I’m not leaving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I really didn't intend on writing so much Kahri at the end, but they were just too sweet for me not too. what will the next chapter bring? Stay tuned!**

**Author's Note:**

> No, Akali isn't dead, don't worry. I hope to put up the next chapter soon. Stay tuned.


End file.
